The three of us

The judge has finally made a ruling in the gay custody court case I wrote about a month ago. For those who missed it first time round, it involved two lesbian mothers who had a baby with their gay male friend. Having fallen out since the baby was born, the former friends were at loggerheads over how much access the dad should have. The mums maintained that he had agreed to play only a minimal role in the child's life; the dad wanted proper parental contact, including overnight stays and annual holidays. In the end, the court agreed with the father that it was in the child's best interest to have a full relationship with all three of his parents, so the dad's request for better contact was approved.

Whether you think this specific decision was right or not, I think we can all be cheered by the way the court dealt with the case, in recognising that a child can have more than two parents, but also making it clear that no general principle should be drawn from this particular case. In other words, that each of these "alternative families" is different and the solution for this family is not necessarily the right one for any other family. I just hope that all four of them can put this behind them and move on harmoniously. It is the hostility between separated parents that damages children, not spending one night a week in a different house.

All this talking about fathers wanting to be more involved with their children brings me neatly on to the point of today's column. This year, the Fatherhood Institute is organising a campaign in the run-up to Father's Day, encouraging dads to read more with their children.

Reading Georgia her bedtime story is one of the loveliest parts of our day, and something I truly relish. I can't wait until Hal gets old enough to join story time too. I've been thinking a lot about the books we read and, understandably, the vast majority of children's books have the classic mummy and daddy set-up. When I'm reading to Georgia, I'll often slip in a reference to Wawa (her name for Cam), but it won't be long before Georgia learns to read, and then it's going to be harder to make these little adaptations.

Some books have alternative family models. We're currently enjoying And Tango Makes Three, about a pair of male penguins who adopt an egg (a true story), but we'd love to have more books. Not necessarily books that model our particular family set-up, just ones that show children that families come in all shapes and sizes. This is where you come in. I'd like to compile a reading list of books that show families don't always have to mean one mum, one dad and 2.4 kids. Send me your suggestions on Twitter, and I'll publish the list before Father's Day on 17 June.

Catherine, Cam and I take it in turns to do Georgia's storytime, but we all have more or less the same routine. After bathtime we take her into our room to dry her and get her dressed. Then we get into the big bed together and snuggle down with a book. After the story, I take her upstairs to her own bed and tuck her in. Then she asks for another story, not from a book this time. She always wants the same thing – "Tell me a story about Daddy's Manchester." So I'll make something up about Daddy and Georgia going to Manchester together and having a lovely adventure.

I like that she wants to imagine what my life at work is like, and that she wants to imagine herself in it. Finally I tuck her in and she says, "Stay here, Daddy." I say OK and give her a little kiss. She falls asleep as I tiptoe out of the room. I always check on her before I go to bed, just to tuck her in and whisper that I love her. I know she's out for the count but I like to think she hears me.